Gerald
Pronounced JH EH1 R AH0 L D (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1942
- 145 years in use
- 3 spellings
How popular is Gerald?
Gerald is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 486,343 children — the 73rd most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 40% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1942, when 12,322 children were given it.
Three other spellings are counted in that total — Jerald, Jerrold and Gerrald — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Gerald and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Jerald
- Jerrold
- Gerrald
Nicknames
Common short forms: Jerry.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- JH EH1 R AH0 L D
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Gerald
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Gerald
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Gerald?
- Gerald ranks 73rd among boys' names in US records, with 486,343 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,755.
- Is Gerald a unisex name?
- No. Gerald is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Gerald most popular?
- 1942, when 12,322 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Gerald?
- Jerry. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Gerald spelled?
- Jerald, Jerrold, Gerrald. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.